Manchester United is facing the risk that Marcus Rashford's future cannot be resolved before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. This may significantly affect Man United's summer transfer plan as well as preparations for the new season.
The English striker is currently in an uncertain situation after negotiations between Man United and Barcelona on a long-term contract suddenly broke down.
Initially, Barcelona was said to have agreed to activate the buyout clause for Rashford for a fee of about 24 million pounds after a period of playing on loan. However, the Catalan team later wanted to renegotiate the payment terms, especially in the context of just spending a large sum of money to strengthen the force.
The "Red Devils" do not accept the option of extending the loan contract for another year, reducing the transfer fee or paying in installments. This quickly puts the negotiations into a deadlock.
Sources from England said that the leadership of the Old Trafford team is not satisfied with Barcelona's approach and is considering completely ending the negotiations. However, MU's problem is that not many other teams are willing to meet the fee they expect.
Rashford still has a contract with the Old Trafford club until 2028 with a salary believed to be up to £325,000 per week. However, the 28-year-old striker is said to have no intention of returning to wear the Man United shirt in the future.
This situation makes the team's leadership's plan more complicated. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his associates are said to want to release the salary fund by selling Rashford this summer. The money raised from this deal is expected to play an important role in building the transfer budget for the new season.
Currently, some big clubs in the Premier League such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are still closely monitoring the developments of the case. However, Man United does not want to sell Rashford to direct competitors in England. On Rashford's side, he is also said to be uninterested in the possibility of moving to Newcastle or Tottenham.
While the future is not yet decided, Rashford still maintains personal training in the US before joining the England national team to prepare for the 2026 World Cup.
The striker born in 1997 has just had a relatively successful season in Barcelona's colors, scoring 14 goals and contributing 14 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions.
That form helped him receive high praise from coach Hansi Flick. The German coach wants to continue working with Rashford, but the fluctuations in Barcelona's transfer plan make the deal more complicated.
Meanwhile, the England team has gathered in Florida to prepare for the 2026 World Cup campaign. According to coach Thomas Tuchel's recommendation, many players have chosen to rest in North America before entering the official training phase.
The Three Lions" will kick off the World Cup with a confrontation with Croatia in Dallas on June 17, before facing Ghana and Panama in the group stage.
Amidst that context, Rashford's future is still one of the biggest question marks of this summer transfer window.
